PHOENIX– Despite Jalen Green still missing time due to his hamstring injury, Sunday evening provided some good news for the Phoenix Suns. While head coach Jordan Ott has often been taciturn with details, this time was a change of scenery.
Although he was initially asked about Grayson Allen missing another game due to right knee injury management, he touched more on Green's progress and the encouragement it's bringing.
“Still steady progress. It's real close to now playing against bodies, live bodies. Still in that same, got to continue to make progress,” Ott said pregame on Sunday.
“Any type of one or two days, but he's made great progress. You seen him out there pregame before. It has continued to pick up.”
Ott isn't kidding around about the increased workload. In the last handful of games, Green has been participating in the team's warmups. He's been using his athleticism and exploding to the basket like everyone is used to.
However, the next step is playing against live competition. Playing at his own pace is one thing, but going at game speed is another beast.
Jordan Ott is being cautious with Jalen Green
Yes, Green's injury has been a tough pill to swallow for the Suns. Simultaneously, this is a 23-year old has plenty of basketball left in front of him. Not to mention, he didn't miss a single game the previous two seasons.
Much like others on the team, the coaching staff and front office seem to be aligned with prioritizing longevity over the now. Even though Green could technically make a return, ensuring that it's a smooth transition is Ott's top priority.
“There are numbers we can see based on strength and sprint speed… knowing that when you get out in a competitive environment, you see a gap, you try to drive the gap. That's a unique environment that he's going to be put in,” Ott said.
“You're going to go and with this soft tissue injuries, want to be as careful as we can. So we're going to have multiple days where we're going to try to stretch it in our practice gym. He's a valuable piece to us. Has a whole long career ahead of him. Again, every step of the way, there's been measures to try to be reached and he's done it. We absolutely want him out there healthy.”
Health is wealth, as a famous person said– and the Suns are in a prime position to have Green return for the long run.
